Colorado On the Path to Same-Sex Civil Unions

"The arc of history is one that bends toward justice," said Democratic Sen. Pat Steadman, the gay lawmaker sponsoring Colorado's bill for same-sex civil unions. A Senate committee approved the legislation yesterday in a 5-2 vote, with one Republican senator voting with Democrats—a sign that the measure will likely pass in the full Senate.

But in order for Colorado to become the eighth state after Washington to offer gay couples the same rights as its straight citizens, the bill will need to clear the Republican-controlled House, where members like Republican Sen. Kevin Lundberg strongly oppose the issue and support the state's 2006 voter-approved ban on gay marriage.

Lundberg challenged Steadman during the emotional debate before yesterday's vote over whether or not the Democrat would seek use a civil unions win to overturn the marriage ban, being that Steadman would directly benefit. "I can tell you Sen. Lundberg that if this bill passes, I will avail myself of it," he answered. "I am a member of the class of unmarried persons who are eligible for this relationship, and it is one that I would seek. Beyond that, I cannot predict."